The 64th Gran Premio Motonautico on the River Po at Boretto produced one of the most dramatic rounds of the 2026 UIM Hydro GP World Championship, with championship positions overturned in all three classes across a weekend of mechanical failures, capsizes and dominant performances.
F.125: Ongari Takes the Round as Rossi’s Title Slips Away
Gabriele Rossi arrived at Boretto with the F.125 championship virtually secured. He left with the lead gone. A steering failure in Heat 1 eliminated him before a lap penalty in Heat 2 compounded the damage, and a disputed finish in Heat 3 left him with just 10 championship points from the round. His total dropped to 50, two behind new leader Andrea Ongari on 52.
Luca Finotti had been the man in form, winning the first two heats with authority. In Heat 3 his exhaust failed, handing Ongari the heat win and the round. Tobias Wahlsten scored his best result of the season, climbing to sixth in the championship standings. Davide Scarpa finished seventh on the day, Daniele Ghiraldi eighth, Simona Emilia Fittavolini ninth.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Total pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Ongari | 🇮🇹 | 169 | 300 | 400 | 869 |
| 2 | Luca Finotti | 🇮🇹 | 400 | 400 | DNF | 800 |
| 3 | Tobias Wahlsten | 🇸🇪 | 300 | 225 | 225 | 750 |
| 4 | Henryk Synoracki | 🇵🇱 | 71 | 127 | 169 | 367 |
| 5 | Deyan Yordanov | 🇧🇬 | 225 | 53 | 71 | 349 |
| 6 | Gabriele Rossi | 🇮🇹 | DNF | 22 | 300 | 322 |
| 7 | Davide Scarpa | 🇮🇹 | DNF | 169 | 127 | 296 |
| 8 | Daniele Ghiraldi | 🇮🇹 | 53 | 95 | 95 | 243 |
| 9 | Simona Emilia Fittavolini | 🇮🇹 | 127 | 71 | 40 | 238 |
| 10 | Nicolo Darai | 🇮🇹 | 95 | DNF | DNF | 95 |
| 11 | Martin Chlup | 🇨🇿 | – | 40 | 53 | 93 |
| 12 | Panayot Stoyanov | 🇧🇬 | DNF | 30 | DNF | 30 |
Championship standings in points: Ongari 52, G. Rossi 50, Finotti 42, Synoracki 39. One round remains, at Chodziez in Poland on June 27-28.
F.250: Cremona Closes in on Fifth Consecutive Title
Massimiliano Cremona was faultless. Three heats, three wins, a perfect score at Boretto that extended his advantage over brother Alessandro to 13 championship points with one round remaining. Pasquale Contento produced his strongest performance of the season in fourth overall on the day. Wayne Turner and Joonas Lember both moved up the standings with solid scoring runs.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Total pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massimiliano Cremona | 🇮🇹 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 1200 |
| 2 | Alessandro Cremona | 🇺🇸 | 300 | 300 | – | 600 |
| 3 | Wayne Turner | 🇬🇧 | 169 | 127 | 300 | 596 |
| 4 | Pasquale Contento | 🇮🇹 | 225 | 225 | 127 | 577 |
| 5 | Joonas Lember | 🇪🇪 | 127 | 169 | 225 | 521 |
| 6 | Thomas Mantripp | 🇬🇧 | – | 95 | 169 | 264 |
| 7 | Pete Nydahl | 🇺🇸 | DNF | DNF | DNF | – |
Championship standings: Massimiliano Cremona 60 points, Alessandro Cremona 47 — a gap of 13 with one round remaining at Chodziez, Poland, June 27-28. Thomas Mantripp holds third on 36 points.
F.500: Rossi Senior Wins the Round, Top Three Split by One Point
The F.500 produced the most dramatic finish of the weekend. Giuseppe Rossi, who had scored just 10 championship points from the opening two rounds, swept through Boretto with fourth, second and first place finishes to take the round win and 20 championship points. Erko Aabrams, who had shared the championship lead coming into the weekend, capsized half a lap from the finish of Heat 3. Marcin Zielinski took one heat win but suffered two retirements. Attila Havas ran steadily throughout.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Total pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Rossi | 🇮🇹 | 169 | 300 | 400 | 869 |
| 2 | Erko Aabrams | 🇪🇪 | 300 | 400 | 225 | 700 |
| 3 | Attila Havas | 🇭🇺 | 95 | 225 | 300 | 620 |
| 4 | Milen Marinov | 🇧🇬 | 127 | 169 | 169 | 465 |
| 5 | David Loukotka | 🇨🇿 | 225 | – | 225 | 450 |
| 6 | Marcin Zielinski | 🇵🇱 | 400 | 127 | – | 400 |
| 7 | Paul Hart | 🇬🇧 | – | 95 | 127 | 254 |
| 8 | Marcel Copak | 🇨🇿 | 53 | 71 | 95 | 237 |
| 9 | Ferenc Csako | 🇷🇸 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 219 |
Championship standings in points with two rounds remaining: Havas 47, Zielinski 47, Aabrams 46, Rossi 30. The top three are split by one championship point. The next F.500 round is at Chodziez, Poland on June 27-28, with the season finale at Ruse, Bulgaria on August 22-23.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
